From Hawaii, Obamas thank troops and offer Christmas wishes

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wished a
Merry Christmas to Americans celebrating the holiday and thanked troops who are
serving during the holidays in the president's weekly address.

“This is a season for millions of Americans
to be together with family, to continue long-held holiday traditions, and to
show our gratitude to those we love. And along the way, some of us might
even watch a little basketball or eat some Christmas cookies, too,” Mr. Obama
said.

Michelle Obama noted that some
of the White House holiday decorations, in the theme of “Gather Around: Stories
of the Season,” honored troops, veterans and military families.

“Our
extraordinary men and women in uniform are serving so that the rest of us can
enjoy the blessings we cherish during the holidays. But that means many
of our troops are far from home and far from family. They’re spending
some extra time on the phone with their loved ones back home. Or they’re
setting up video chats so they can watch as the presents are opened. So
today, we want all of our troops to know that you’re in our thoughts and
prayers this holiday season,” Mr. Obama said, adding that many troops and new veteran
will be spending their first Christmas in years with their families with the
war in Iraq over and the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan winding down.

“That’s something we all can be thankful for,” Michelle Obama
said. She and the president encouraged people to reach out and help those in
their communities “who could use a hand up.”

The Obama family departed
for their annual vacation in Kailua, Hawaii, Friday evening, where the president has
spent time golfing with friends and staffers, going to the beach and
restaurants with his family, and working out in the gym at the Marine Corps
Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay. The Obamas also attended the Hawaiian
Airlines Diamond Head Classic at the University of Hawaii, where he wanted the
University of Akron play Oregon State University, where Michelle Obama’s
brother, Craig Robinson, is the head coach of the basketball team.

On Christmas Eve, Michelle Obama helped answer calls from
children as part of the annual “NORAD Tracks Santa” program run by Northern
American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The first lady has made a tradition
of fielding calls, which began in 1955 after a local newspaper ad gave out a
misprinted telephone number for children to call Santa, which was actually the Continental
Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The commander on duty gave a young
child who called information on the supposed whereabouts of Santa, and the
program was continued when NORAD was formed in 1958.

The program went digital
in 1998, and now millions of unique visitors from around the globe track Santa’s
location each year, or they can call a live Operations Center staffed with more
than 1,200 volunteers. This is Michelle Obama’s fourth year participating in the
program.

The vacation hasn’t been all play for the president, though. He has been briefed on the ongoing violence in South Sudan, and told Congress Sunday that he may take further military action to protect Americans in the country. He is also studying recommendations on ways to reform the National Security Administration’s data collection program made by the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies that he commissioned.